With their sagging lineup fortified by the returns of Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez, the Dodgers scored six times in the first three innings and went on to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-3, Tuesday night.

The victory cut the Dodgers' magic number to clinch the NL West to two. A win in either of the two remaining games in this series will give the Dodgers their first division title since 2009.

“Not there yet,” Dodgers starter Zack Greinke said of being on the verge of clinching. “Something special would be the playoff and World Series stuff. Just getting to it (the postseason) is nice. But that’s not the good part.”

While the Dodgers dawdled, losing nine of their previous 12, they might have made that road a little more difficult. The St. Louis Cardinals have moved ahead of them – and would have home-field advantage in a first-round playoff matchup – and within one game of the Atlanta Braves for the best record in the National League.

But Dodgers manager Don Mattingly was just happy to have some semblance of his lineup back after barely averaging three runs per game during that 12-game slide.

“It feels good to get a win because we haven’t put one together in awhile,” Mattingly said. “More than anything, it’s great to see guys get back out there.”

Kemp was 4 for 4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI in his first start since July 21 before Mattingly pulled him for a pinch-runner in the seventh inning. Ramirez, playing for the first time since Thursday because of an irritated nerve in his back, also reached base four times (a single and three walks) and scored three runs before he was pulled early as well.

“It felt good,” Kemp said. “It just felt good running on the field with the guys again. I missed baseball. I hadn’t been able to play in awhile.”

Mattingly said he wasn’t sure if either Kemp or Ramirez would play again Wednesday, indicating he will handle both with caution over the final 11 games. But it was obvious what difference-makers both can be. Ramirez has been all season. The Dodgers are 52-28 in games he has started – 35-36 when he isn’t in the lineup.

Kemp could have his own impact if he continues to resemble the retro version he was Tuesday, doubling into the left-field corner and then high off the center-field wall.

“It’d be huge,” Mattingly said. “Just from the standpoint of (facing) lefties and stuff like that. It just gives us more options in terms of right-handers protected in the lineup.

“Matt is Matt. The last two games he played he’s looking unbelievable.”

Mattingly chuckled at himself for that, aware that Kemp’s previous start had been nearly two months before – though he did go 3 for 4 with a home run and a double before injuring his ankle that day in Washington.

“I knew Hanley was going to be in the lineup. Matt – you don’t know what you’re going to get because he’s been hurt so much,” Greinke said. “I’ve never seen him swing the bat like he is right now. I didn’t play with him before this year and I only faced him a couple times. People talk about what a good hitter he is but I haven’t seen it this year because he’s been hurt.”

He got a glimpse Tuesday as Kemp doubled in two runs during a four-run first inning against Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin. Juan Uribe followed with a two-run home run.

In the third, Ramirez led off with a walk and scored on a two-run home run by Adrian Gonzalez. Kemp added an RBI single in the fourth inning as the Dodgers stretched their lead to 8-0.

All the offense made an easy night for Greinke who held the Diamondbacks to two runs on six hits, including a solo home run by Aaron Hill, in six innings.

Greinke is unbeaten (7-0) in his past 10 starts with a 1.57 ERA in that time, going at least six innings and allowing no more than two runs in any of those starts.

“Just locating, throwing all four pitches sorta where I want to,” Greinke said of the key to his success. “I haven’t been perfect but if you have confidence you can throw it where you want, it lets you do more stuff. That’s been the biggest thing.”

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